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Blue Jays: R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball rounding into shape

But it’s still unclear who will catch the Toronto ace, whose next start will be at the World Baseball Classic on March 8.

Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey, right, confers with catcher J.P. Arencibia as they walk to the dugout during the third inning of Saturday's spring training game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Dunedin, Fla. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

DUNEDIN, FLA.—R.A. Dickey got smacked around early in his second spring start on Saturday, but the Blue Jays ace says he feels good and his knuckleball is beginning to take its unpredictable shape.

“I feel like I’m going forward the way I need to,” he said.

A stiff, cold wind was blowing out of the Florida Auto Exchange Stadium throughout the afternoon, giving an extra lift to just about every ball put into play. That in part explained why both Dickey and Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee were both tagged for three runs in the first two innings.

“Florida is usually much kinder from a weather perspective,” Dickey said after he finished his three innings and added another 14 pitches in the bullpen.

By the end of the day, the two clubs had combined for five home runs, with the Jays coming out 11-6 victors in the derby.

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“It was one of those days, tough to pitch,” Jays manager John Gibbons said. “Hitters see that wind too. They get confident, knowing all they have to do is get the ball airborne.”

The climate-controlled confines of the Rogers Centre should make for a more hospitable environment for Dickey come opening day on April 2.

But the question remains, who will catch him?

Starting backstop J.P. Arencibia handled the job Saturday, and Dickey said he’s “pleased” with how the young catcher has been receiving his notoriously deceptive pitch thus far.

“He’s not mishandling very many,” Dickey said. “A good one is a hard one for anybody to catch so you have to have some grace when it comes to that. But he’s done a heck of a job.”

The other two men competing for the privilege to lead the league in passed balls and catch the uncatchable are Henry Blanco and Josh Thole, both of whom caught Dickey during his time with the Mets.

Though Gibbons had previously said Dickey’s catcher would definitely be either Blanco or Thole, on Saturday he suggested Arencibia still had a chance.

Saturday’s batterymates will get extra time to work together since they are both joining Team USA in Phoenix on Sunday for the World Baseball Classic.

Dickey is scheduled to start for the U.S. on March 8 against Mexico, and he said he expects Arencibia will be catching him, though he hasn’t had confirmation from manager Joe Torre.

Gibbons said the Jays will make their decision on who will catch Dickey on opening day “as soon as possible” after both players return from the Classic.

Dickey said he has confidence in all three of his potential catchers.

“I’m comfortable with all of them, so really it gives Gibby a lot of latitude to be able to put in there who he thinks is the best fit for that day.”

He does want to have a single catcher, though, at least in the final two weeks of spring training before opening day.

“That’s logical,” he said, adding later that it could change throughout the season. “We’re real fortunate to have a lot of guys that can handle it well.”

Phillies hitters got to Dickey early on Saturday, when he gave up four straight hits after the first batter, including a home run to Ryan Howard.

“They were just aggressive early in the count and they got some balls up in the air, and today if you got a ball up in the air it was probably going to go somewhere.”

After the shaky first Dickey was perfect — though two Phillies reached base on a pair of errors — and he induced a lot of weak contact.

He threw 32 of his 43 pitches for strikes and he was ahead of most batters. He said his mechanics felt good.

“When you see a lot of groundballs like I did today, that means that the ball is moving late around the plate.”

After his three innings of work he threw another 14 pitches in the bullpen and said he is looking forward to ramping up the competition at the World Baseball Classic.

Right-hander Josh Johnson followed Dickey, giving up a solo home run to Carlos Ruiz but otherwise pitching a clean two innings. Johnson said he worked primarily on his fastball location, using his secondary pitches only sparingly.

Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio homered for the Jays, who are now 5-4 in Grapefruit League action.

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